Hazare, Ramdev attack govt on corruption, blackmoney issue

Updated: Tuesday, July 17, 2012, 16:19 [IST]

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Pune, Jul 17: Ahead of their proposed protests in Delhi, Anna Hazare and yoga guru Ramdev today launched an attack on the UPA government accusing it of not showing enough resolve in tackling corruption and bringing back blackmoney stashed away abroad.

Hazare and Ramdev said they will support each other in the fight. Team Anna is launching an indefinite protest from Jul 25 in Jantar Mantar while Ramdev's protest starts from Aug 9 in Ramlila Maidan. "Ramdev is fighting to bring back blackmoney. We are demanding a strong Lokpal to fight corruption. But the government has no intention to do so. They do not have the will power."

"Why efforts are not being taken to bring blackmoney stashed abroad? There may be people in government who have hidden blackmoney. This may be the reason. What is preventing them from taking action?" Hazare told reporters.

On his part, Ramdev said people have been waiting for a strong Lokpal and bringing back blackmoney for over a year but the "government has time and again hoodwinked public". "The intention of the government to bring a strong Lokpal does not seem to be right. So now a decision has to be made till what time you have to go on with agitation, how we can get a strong Lokpal Bill and how we can bring back blackmoney," Ramdev said.

Whenever these issues are raised, Hazare said, they were told that these are just allegations and there is no proof. Without an independent investigation, he added, the truth will not come out. "We demand an independent probe. Not one by the government. We don't want a CBI probe as the agency is under the control of government," he said.

Hazare alleged the government is not bringing a strong Lokpal because if there is a legislation, many of the ministers will land in jail resulting in collapse of the government. The government cheated people repeatedly on the issue of Lokpal, he alleged.

"The issue went to the Standing Committee. People were cheated. It went to Parliament, we were cheated. People were repeatedly cheated by the government," he charged. Till a strong Lokpal Bill is enacted and blackmoney is brought back, he said, the protests will continue. Ramdev said if the government does not take "some big decisions" now, people will be disheartened.